There are known steering columns comprising a fixed base to which an upper section is connected from the upper end of which a top portion of a steering axle associated to a steering wheel protrudes.
The upper section, for example, can be associated in a movable manner relative to the base with respect to at least two degrees of freedom, for example one rotational and one translational, for the regulation of the steering wheel tilting and height, respectively.
Such steering columns of known type may have one or more control members, individually operable between a locked position, in which they constrain both degrees of freedom of the upper section relative to the base, and respective unlocked positions, in which they release one or both degrees of freedom of the upper section relative to the base.
For example, the simultaneous adjustment of the steering wheel is allowed in both functions (tilting and rotation) via a single control member which, once actuated, unlocks both movements or separate adjustment of both movements respectively with distinct control members, for example two levers, a lever and a pedal, a lever and a button, or even the separate adjustment of both movements with a single control member using different movements of the control member itself.
In this last case, the known steering columns have the requirement that the control member is to be manually retained in the respective unlocked positions during the manual adjustment of the tilting and/or height of the steering wheel.
Therefore, the driver, during adjustment of the steering wheel, has one hand always engaged on the control member and the other engaged on the steering wheel to bring it in the desired position.
As it is deducible, this mode of realizing the adjustment of the steering wheel is particularly uncomfortable for the driver who, during the adjustment, besides having to operate the steering wheel with one hand, is forced to assume the correct or usual driving position that would allow an optimal adjustment of the steering wheel, because forced to have a hand in correspondence to the control member.
One object of the present invention is to overcome the mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, within the context of a simple, rational and low-cost solution.
Such objects are achieved by the features of the invention reported in the independent claim. The dependent claims describe preferred and/or particularly advantageous aspects of the invention.